Sex Aware

A Meta-Analysis of Pornography Consumption and Actual Acts of Sexual Aggression in General Population Studies

Paul J. Wright, Robert S. Tokunaga, Ashley Kraus

First published: 29 December 2015

Abstract

Whether pornography consumption is a reliable correlate of sexually aggressive behavior continues to be debated. Meta-analyses of experimental studies have found effects on aggressive behavior and attitudes. That pornography consumption correlates with aggressive attitudes in naturalistic studies has also been found. Yet, no meta-analysis has addressed the question motivating this body of work: Is pornography consumption correlated with committing actual acts of sexual aggression? 22 studies from 7 different countries were analyzed. Consumption was associated with sexual aggression in the United States and internationally, among males and females, and in cross-sectional and longitudinal studies. Associations were stronger for verbal than physical sexual aggression, although both were significant. The general pattern of results suggested that violent content may be an exacerbating factor.

The average porn user may have more egalitarian views towards women than non-users, a contentious new study has suggested.

Researchers at Western University in Canada have even argued that many pornography fans might be useful allies in women's struggles for equality in the workplace and in public office.

Taylor Kohut, the study leader and a post-doctoral fellow in psychology, analysed data from 35 years of the General Social Survey, a US government-funded project that interviews around 24,000 men and women a year about a variety of issues.

They reported in the Journal of Sex Research that the 23% of people who said they had watched an X-rated film during the previous year were no more or less likely to identify as feminists than those who did not watch porn.

They also found that, on average, porn-watchers expressed more positive attitudes towards women in positions of power, as well as less negative attitudes towards abortion and women in the workforce.

Kohut said: I'd rather not live in a culture where our government decide to regulate [or] outlaw behaviour or material because they assume it's harmful. I'd rather they demonstrate it is, first.

Supporting the study Christopher Ferguson, a psychology professor at Texas A&M International University, said that gauges of male aggression such as rape and domestic violence have actually been decreasing throughout the Internet era, the National Post reported. Dr Ferguson said:

I think if porn were going to ruin society, it's already had 20 years to do it ... And it's not happened.

Kohut said that the results may partly be explained by the fact that porn users are more likely to be liberal people, where as non-users are more likely to be conservative or religious.

Men aren't the only ones with a porn habit - as one in three women admit to watching X-rated videos at least once a week - and many say that they are using their cell phones to view it.

British photographer Amanda de Cadenet teamed up with Marie Claire magazine to create a comprehensive survey exploring modern women's relationships with porn - and the results indicate that the majority of female porn fans are viewing the erotic videos alone, for their own pleasure, rather than with a partner.

Out of the more than 3,000 women surveyed, 91% of the survey's respondents identify as female, 8% identify as men and 1% is transgender.

And while 31% of them say they watch porn every week or so, 30% report viewing X-rated film at least a few times a month.

However, despite popular misconception, women aren't watching porn to appease their significant others. While 31% of people say they occasionally watch porn with their partners, only 3% say they do it regularly.

As for what women are watching, 63% say they enjoy heterosexual porn. And while 83% of respondents are straight, 44% say they gravitate towards lesbian porn and 31% say it's a mixed bag .